Return
by Nals
Summary: She convinced him living in the past isn't right. But when she decides to go back, how will it affect the fiancées? (Some themes not for kids, though no sexual content.)


"I told you, I'm not feeling well."

"This _will_ make you feel better."

She laughed bitterly. "I ultimately don't think this will make my head feel better." He only rolled his eyes.

"You and your obsession with chocolate."

"Wha—? Is _my fault_ that Max sent me perfect German chocolate?" she replied, holding her hands out expressively.

That afternoon, Margo had apparently eaten a bit of chocolate before dinner, and, in consequence, received a dizzy, hurting head. Rodrigo knew of the idiotic 'allergy', and had a random idea to help solve it.

"You and that German get along better than I'd like to," he growled.

She waved her hand dismissively. "H's just a fellow engineer. Nothing between us."

As he roared down the familiar roads—familiar to her—she wondered why they were heading to her hometown from the prestigious hotel they were staying at. Heads turned as the A7 dashed past; it was very uncommon to find an Audi running down Manila city streets.

As they crossed the gates to the largest subdivision in Asia, he said, "Close your eyes."

"Rodrigo," she whined in a sort-of sing-song voice.

"…I won't crash the A8, if that's what you're worried about." But the look on her face wasn't of amusement. When he put the car on neutral at a stoplight, he tuned his head to face her. "Trust me."

She rolled her eyes, but sighed and followed. With a smirk and a green light he urged the silver Audi forward.

How far he drove was unknown to her; the feel of the road beneath her car's tires felt the same to her all the way. But the way the car moved, inclined and stopped altogether let her know he'd parked.

"Alright," he murmured. "Open them."

Her tanned lids revealed confused brown to a familiar sight, and, with a gasp, she lifted her hands to her lips; he grinned widely.

"You brought me to _Amalia's_?" she whispered in disbelief, ecstatic brown meeting happy forest green, and he nodded in reply. "How did you know?"

He waved his hands in the space between them. "Magic." She laughed, and the car doors swung open.

She stepped into the familiar, bright dining room, and was greeted by an, albeit aged, known face, which lit up in recognition. The old waiter smiled, directing them to a table for two next to the large painting.

"_How have you been, ma'am?_" the waiter asked in native tongue as he handed them menus.

She grinned. "_So much has changed._"

He nodded. "_And you parents…?_"

She smiled politely, though her eyes betrayed sadness. "_They're gone, sir._"

He bent his head. "Sorry."

She only nodded.

"…_no grandparents, then?_"

She choked, red with embarrassment. In turn, the waiter laughed, turning to take his leave.

"…that was embarrassing," she murmured.

"Why? What'd he say?"

She stared at him for a moment, deciding whether to tell him or not. She chose not to out of embarrassment. "Nothing."

He was skeptical, but didn't push it.

The duo had ordered, the food was served, and soon, the two were laughing over a plate of _canonigo_. Soon enough, the bill was paid, and they were in the car.

"…Rodrigo?"

He started the car. "_¿Si?_"

"…can we…go somewhere before we head back?" W-while we're here?"

"Sure." He backed up and onto the road. "Where to?"

"At the intersection, turn right, okay?"

He nodded, taking the rightmost lane. "Then?"

"Follow the road for a moment. …there. Turn right." He turned to meet another gate, and surrendered the gate pass before turning to her.

"Turn left after the hump, then right at the first corner. Find a green gate." He nodded, following her directions to a 'T', and cut the engine as he parked on the curb. She stepped out, looking around in awe, barks breaking the silence.

Her mouth was open in awe as she stared upward. "November skies never changed."

He sided by her. "Why?"

She pointed upwards. "That's Orion."

He stared at the constellation. "Oh, wow." He glanced down at her. "How'd you know that?"

She smiled at him. "My dad was into starts for a little while, and I knew a few things about them."

"So…what exactly are we doing here?"

She sighed, and pressed the doorbell, a satisfying buzz and a flurry of barks resounding in their ears.

"My mother."

The wooden door opened behind a screen door, a silhouette appearing.

"Yes? _Who's there?_" a male voice called out.

"I'm calling for an Alyssa Rodriguez_ po,_" she replied.

The latch of the screen door opened, revealing a middle-aged man, a curious, suspicious look on his face as he approached the tall gate. "_Why?_"

"Please. I need to see her."

"Why won't you tell me the reason why you need to see her?"

"Because I need to—"

"Dad?"

She stiffened. _That's what she used to call Dad._

The screen door opened, creaking, and closed, hissing. Footsteps and slippers being dragged over concrete echoed lightly. "_Who's that?_"

Margo smiled weakly, fingers clawing at the mesh on the gate. "Hi, Ma."

The aged woman turned away, having frozen for a moment. "I have no other daughter other than Christine."

"Ma?" A little girl padded outside. "What's going on?" She gazed up inquiringly at her mother. "Who's that?"

"Ma," Margo muttered under her breath, sadness and disappointment in her gaze. "Why?" Alyssa said nothing. "Why did you forget Dad?"

"You have no father here."

Anger rose in her throat, tears stung in her eyes, and she slammed a fist to the mesh that kept cats away. "You're damn right I don't!" Instantly, the girl cowered behind her mother.

"Margo," Rodrigo warned low, a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't stop.

"Dad…he told me to find you, to tell you he still loves you! He told me to come back to him if ever I found you, and tell him whatever you had to say to him! He told me to find a good life, and to still love you!"

She fell to her knees, her face in her hands. "_Pero paano na? Paano na ako babalik sa kanya kung wala na siya?(_But how? How can I go back to him if he's gone?)" She glanced up to see the shock on her mother's face. "_Patay na siya, _Mama! _Namatay siya sa aksidente!_" She sobbed some more, and the man beside her got down to his knees to try to calm her.

"_Kaya…papaano na? Paano ko sasabihin sa kanya na nandito ka pa? __Na mahal mo pa rin siya?_" (So...how? How can I tell him that you're still here? That you still love him?)

"_Wala akong ibang mahal kundi si _Allistor! _Huwag ka magsabi ng hindi totoo! _" (I have no other love other than Allistor! Don't tell lies!)

"_E di hindi!_" (Then it's not!) All she wanted to do was slap some sense into the woman that gave birth to her. "I did nothing to betray you, Ma! Nothing, y'hear? I was only fifteen; _hindi ko alam kung bakit dinala ako sa Europa, bakit nakatira kami doon mahigit anim na taon na walang kamusta sa iyo! (_I didn't know why I was brought to Europe, why we lived there for nearly six years without word from you!_)_

She glared at her mother. "I hated him when he told me! I hated you! You tore my family apart, when I believed—when you let me believe you couldn't!

"…you let me believe we were a perfect family.

"Sure I didn't have siblings. Sure I was just above average. Sure I did like crossdressing and being unruly and being a tomboyish girl. But after all of that…I thought we weren't like…like them.

"Not like the rest.

"Not like Francesca, whose parents were annulled. Not like _Ate _Pon and _Ate_ Kal and _Tita _Rits, who raised kids without a father. Not like those who eloped or abandoned their kids."

She rose to her feet, and with brown eyes, though reddened and wet, begged her mother quietly. "Please, Ma." She paused for effect. "My kids will need a grandmother. And I need a mother to help me through the same thing she's gone through."

There was silence as all words sunk into the family's minds.

Alyssa shook her head. "No."

Margo gritted her teeth as a sharp pang shot through her heart.

"I'm sorry. I can't be the mother you knew anymore. …life isn't as we know it anymore."

She only nodded in defeat. "…I guess." Her hands slid down the gate, falling limp by her sides.

"I'm sorry I disturbed you." She turned to walk away.

"But it doesn't mean I can't still be your mother."

The twenty-seven-year-old's head turned to see her mother. "What?"

"You heard me." She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. For not telling you. For not even saying good-bye."

Margo only blinked, resentment coming back as she antagonized Alyssa, but reined everything in and just accepted things.

At least they were going to be alright.

"I won't be as close though," she whispered weakly, pressing against the gate once more.

Alyssa shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"I dunno; I mean, I was gone for a long time."

"But that doesn't mean we can't catch up."

Margo's lips twitched to a smile, and blew into the handkerchief that was in her back pocket.

Alyssa's eyes gleamed. "Still carrying a handkerchief, huh?"

The two laughed. "Yeah."

"So, _sino 'to? _(Who's this?)" She nodded at the man in a yellow jacket.

"This, Ma, is my fiancée."

* * *

_O.o I wonder how Alyssa will handle the news? xD Maybe I'll make this a two-shot or something._

_So, this is a sort of spin-off of LAL, something that I've been meaning to explore. I mean, in the timeline, her parents were 'divorced', but annulled is more appropriate because divorce isn't allowed in the Philippines. O.o Yes, the italics in English are supposed to be in Tagalog, but I decided against it later on; was too tired to fix them._

_ALL NAMES HAVE BEEN CENSORED FOR PRIVACY. ;)_

_Damn, one more week and I'm in college. D8 _

_So, I was too lazy to even put in the translations at the end of the chapter, haha. T_T_


End file.
